O Ye of little Faith, please read:
https://puri.sm/posts/the-future-of-software-supply-chain-security/
(It really is worth a read ;)
On +2020-12-31 14:53:24 -0500, Leo Famulari wrote:
> Hi Josh,
>
> I'm replying off-list, because this subject has been discussed soooo
> many times without reaching a different conclusion, and because I worry
> about starting a flamewar on the mailing list.
>
> On Thu, Dec 31, 2020 at 02:12:16PM -0500, Josh Marshall wrote:
> > So a separate channel would work for non-free software? I know the stuff
> > is fundamentally gross. I'd still like to have a better way to get out of
> > an ecosystem that is basically entirely all non-free software and a
> > transition to fully free becomes possible.
>
> If we think about free software in terms of the "4 freedoms" [0],
> channels are a fully-supported way to help people take advantage of the
> "zero-eth freedom", which is the freedom to use the software (Guix) as
> one sees fit.
>
> Personally, I think that ensuring an operating system is 100% free
> software (and with no DRM support) hampers the success of the free
> software movement by driving away users.
>
> If we lived in a world with free software support for common hardware
> (ahem, WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE) and for popular software use cases (popular
> games and apps, commercial and educational software), then offering a
> totally free system would be a viable approach.
>
> But, that world doesn't exist. Even though some people who are happy to
> use 10+ year old computers for very limited use cases might think it
> does... many of them don't even use mobile phones... they don't
> understand contemporary computing at all, from a practical perspective.
>
> Nevertheless, the GNU Guix project has made a commitment to working
> within the FSDG, and we are basically stuck with it barring some
> cataclysmic change.
>
> I think that maintaining a harmonious atmosphere within Guix will help
> it continue to grow, and channels can satisfy the need for things that
> don't fit the FSDG. If Guix becomes large enough, it could be
> transformative for the free software movement.
>
> [0]
> https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html
--
Regards,
Bengt Richter
